Lots of Questions - First *possible* Dragon

[mckyle9423]

I'm extremely interested in getting a bearded dragon. I went by PetSmart today, and they had 3 or 4 which were active and seemed friendly. I have been wanting a dragon for years, so no worries about this being an impulse buy.


However, I have no idea if I should buy the dragons at the store or not. The worker said they were about a month old, and they just came in yesterday. They have very pretty colors.

And if I can buy them, I have no idea where to start with anything. Especially feeding. See, I hate bugs with a passion. PetSmart had some canned crickets, though, and I think I could handle those. They also had other canned insects/mixtures. Are these suitable?

Sure to have more questions in the future


Thanks!
-Kyle

 

[keschete]

Kyle, welcome and hopefully you will get a bearded dragon. You will have to get over your bug aversion though. Baby bearded dragons need the protien from live bugs. Dried bugs are garbage....they need live food and veggies.

I don't like bugs that much either, but if you want a dragon, bugs are a must. There is something called Phoenix worms that are great staple food for baby dragons and they are not slimy, they don't jump and they are very healthy for babies.

Phoenix worms are not scary for people who hate bugs. They are great even though they are more expensive that crickets.

Once you get used to crickets they aren't bad either. As far as ordering from a breeder or buying from a petsore....buy from a breeder. Those little bitty babies they have in pet stores are stressed and sometimes in poor health.

If you find a good private pet store that might be different, but petco and petsmart sell babies that are too small.

I have one orange dragon from Bloodbank Dragons and a white male from Georgia bearded dragons and they are gorgeous! And the breeders stand behind their animals and also give you free tech support if you have trouble. They are great!

 

[mckyle9423]

I would love to buy from a breeder, but the only problem is the price; there's just no way I could pay $150+ for just the dragon and provide it with all they need.

 

[keschete]

I would love to buy from a breeder, but the only problem is the price; there's just no way I could pay $150+ for just the dragon and provide it with all they need.

Let me just say this...if you can not afford to buy a dragon from a breeder, I would wait to buy a dragon and save up your money. I would also save up the money for the vet visit and the other possible issues.

I did it the cheap way and bought one of those cute babies from a pet store...and it died in two weeks.....I have plenty of money to do what I need to with the vet...and despite my best efforts...that cute little tiny baby died. I have two nice older babies from breeders and they are growing like weeds and if anything goes bad, those breeders are there for me...


If you buy from a breeder you will likely have less health issues than from a pet store. In the long run it is cheaper to buy from a breeder than a store.

It is worth the wait to save and get a better quality animal. Also if you check with the breeders on this forum. many of them have less expensive animals and specials on shipping.

Try the forsale section especially Caliente, Dragon Hut, California Citrus and many others.....if you pm the breeders on this forum, you might find a good strong healthy baby in your price range.

I have seen dragons offered on this site cheaper than at the pet stores...and witha warranty and tech support


Kaya

 

[Sj45]

I have seen countless dragons under $100 w/ shipping.

Here is a few good breeders:

http://dragonsnmoore.com

http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-HSalerno/-strse-Bearded-Dragons/Categories.bok

http://www.rockinardragonz.com/brick_helen.htm

try those, you should be able to find one under $100, I didn't want to spend $150-200 on a dragon either.